Day Two: Dig Deeper

Day Two of Insanity Workout. Really hard. I stopped mid-way to take off my shirt, because I was sweating like crazy and hotter than heck. This coming from someone who naturally doesn't sweat that much.

It wasn't until the last third of the DVD that I had to take additional rest breaks from those allotted in the video. (Okay, it was more like laying there on the ground panting for air.) But, I still continued on as best I could. Totally worth it.

I like that the exercises are simple — not much of a learning curve. The idea is to keep pushing yourself. "Dig deeper" as Shawn T. says. He, by the way, I love. I've never really liked the workout hosts much. (Hubby has P90X and we also have a old version of Zumba.)
Shawn T. is motivating and clear on his instructions. Little reminders like:
Keep your knees soft.
Stretch with your chest, not your head.
Don't sacrifice form for speed.
Think like a power squat, use your body from the bottom up. (Something like that.)

No air of arrogance about him — I like that. He's just really good at what he does and seems like a genuinely caring trainer. Yes, I can tell all this from watching him on the TV. LOL!

+++

I made Hubby and myself open-faced salmon burgers with grilled onions, an egg and asparagus. That's a multigrain thin bun on the bottom. Partially because we got a very large box of wild salmon burgers from Sam's Club. Hubby loves them, but I prefer my salmon raw and in sushi. Different toppings definitely help.

xo,
m

21 days of healthy

Research has shown that it takes 21 days to create a habit or break a habit. With that in mind, I've challenged myself to "21 Days of Healthy". I'm just sick of feeling shitty all the time. I really WANT to feel better. And I'm gonna make it happen.

(Not to mention, we have a couple of vacations on the horizon. Yessss, all the more reason to get my act together.)

What exactly does "HEALTHY" entail for me?


ONE. Losing the weight that I've been referring to as "baby weight", but should really just call "weight". I mean Suri is 2 1/2 years old now for gawd's sake. Ten pounds is my weight-loss goal. I just want my body to be built differently — less fat, more lean muscles. I want to FEEL healthy.

TWO. Go balls-to-the-wall with exercise. Truth be told, I've been a bit lackadaisical for the last couple of years. To combat that, I've committed myself to the Insanity workout. My theory is that I need something to kick my ass, until I get hooked on the feel-good benefits. If I can just get in the habit, I think the rest should be gravy. (Sidenote: I did the Fit Test today, puked, then kept on going. I consider this a WIN, since I pushed through. :) I'm both scared and excited for tomorrow's workout.)

THREE. Eating better and cooking on a consistent basis. We tend to be a vegetable-loving family, so it's just a matter of execution for me. I need to be better at meal planning, meal prepping and cleaning as I go.

I'm excited for the next 20 days and ready to take it on. You'll be seeing more posts to come. (I had accidentally deleted all my photos from this blog while setting up Google+ and finally cleaned up my mess. Looking forward to blogging again.)

#21daysofhealthy >>> If you're interested, join me!!


muah!
m

dear Fall, i love you

really can't believe it's oct already.

i was driving along this morning and
thought "oh my gosh, it's beautiful out."
the leaves are changing color,
the weather is a little brisk,
the sun is shining.
i love it.
that's the thing about Fall.
it stops you in your tracks and makes
you appreciate your surroundings.

i've always loved Fall.
when i was little, i used to love that
school was starting again.
(this was back when school started
after labor day weekend. remember that?)
i love getting to wear cardigans, scarves and boots.
i love lighting candles.
i love celebrating our anniversaries (american + asian weddings).
i love reminiscing with my sisters when my
grandparent's birthdays come up.
i love the smell of bonfires when i step outside.
i love all of it.
sept / oct / nov >> all my faves.

sure, i love Spring too.
don't get me wrong, Spring is lovely.
but, moreso i love Spring by default.
Spring is like that rebound relationship after
Winter has treated you like absolute shit.

Fall is where my heart belongs.
where i feel completely like myself.
happy and content.
carefree. and usually more productive.
Fall gets me.

how about you? what's your favorite season?

if i had to choose for babygirl,
she'd probably say summer.
she'd live off watermelon, swim everyday,
wear her diva sunglasses and
paint her nails hot pink every darn day.
;)

xo, m

a good list

just a few good things i love...

> a good book
> a good nap
> a good juicy pen
> a good friend
> a good laugh
> a good cup of coffee
> a good clever design
> a good hot bath
> a good cry
> a good stretch
> a good back-scratch
> a good productive monday

muah!
minna

DIY 'i carry your heart' mug

in case you missed it,
i did my very first guest post
at GOMHP last friday
for the lovely brooke's
"friday randomness".
it was fun!
(i'll be guest posting in march too. yay!)

here's the "meat" of last week's post
with instructions for my DIY mug...

.........

1. Porcelaine pen markers can be found at Michael's and Hobby Lobby for $4ish. Make sure to shake it well, then "pump" the ink into the tip by pushing it against a piece of paper. (This mug was from Dollar Tree.)
2. (Keep a wet napkin and wet Q-tip on hand.) Outline the handle of the mug first.
3. Draw the other side of the heart, using the handle-side as a guide for symmetry. If you make a mistake, wipe it off with the wet napkin right away and wipe dry. (The marker comes off easily when wet.) Once you have the outline of the heart, draw the lines in thicker. Let dry...only takes a minute.
4. Write in 'i carry your heart' with a little heart. Use the wet Q-tip if you make a mistake and need to rewrite.

The cup is dishwasher-safe in 72 hours.

The words are from one of my favorites poems my E.E. Cummings - "I carry your heart in my heart." It seemed appropriate for a warm cup of coffee and a Friday to reflect on the week. :)

........

muah, muah.
have a rockin' weekend!

fake carrots are yummy

suri got a little play kitchen for christmas from
her auntie toni and uncle kevin.
she loves the thing and it is the perfect size for her.
she's 17 mos. now and pretend play is her game.

i bought her some plastic cookies and veggies to go
with it and it could not be any more of a hit.
(they were at the dollar section at target.)

see the pic with her eating the plastic carrot?
the funny thing is that she doesn't like carrots in real life.
but, in pretend world, carrots are yummyyyyy. :)

toasting in the new year

on friday, i had had plans for din-din and the
'new year's eve' movie with one of my girlfriends.

now, it's become an official party of five.
i'm quite excited really.
i'm looking at this as kind-of a little,
early new year's celebration minus the chaos.
yay, for that!

so, to add to the festivities, i made this
'toasting in the new year' printable.
p.s. you'll need a bottle of bubbly or wine for this.

instructions:

1. Each person fills out the questions.
2. Go around sharing your answers, amongst some good conversation.
3. Have the toast at the end of each "section". ("Cheers to...")

download the printable here.
happy safe and fun new year, loverlies!!!!!

our little lady in december

suri has been a busy-body this december.
this Christmas seemed extra special
because she was able to know what was going on,
whereas last year, she was just a peanut.

read the previous post to see what a
little lady she has become.
here's some photos of our little bundle of joy:

checking her aunt sky's text messages.

she lets me put pigtails in now! yay!!!

giggly girl

she REALLY did not like the santa hat.

fave place: uncle addi's lap

matching yellow with grandpa

pigtails out and ipod on.

she's very insistent on feeding herself now.

first taste of a candy cane...

i think this girl might have a thousand different
expressions, dontcha think?
lata, loves!

time capsule ornament

hope you had a merry, merry Christmas!
mine was loud, busy and fun.
suri was spoiled like crazy
and is enjoying all of her new toys.

december   f   l    e   w   by for us.
so, to remember this fun and festive time,
i made this time capsule ornament for suri...

i got the glittery tree ornament at target in the dollar bin.

i wrote '2011' on there with a sharpie paint marker.

i  tied up the important suri info. :)

what is she like right now?
here's what i wrote on the suri sheet:

Suri is almost 17 mos old.
She is such a quick learner
and VERY observant.
Recently...

She took her dad’s keys and tried to 
unlock the front door with them.

She took his electric shaver
and pretended to shave her face.

She took my curling iron and pretended 
to curl her own hair.

She helps put on her own lotion after her bath - 
she rubs it all over her tummy.

She learned the word ‘No’and  tells us if 
she doesn’t like a particular food or outfit.
(She already won’t wear something 
she doesn’t like.)

She loves wearing her dress-up shoes 
and is already such a  girlie girl, 
except she hates hair things. 
She now lets  us put pigtails in without
yanking them out.

She gives “running” hugs and sometimes kisses. 
(Now, she doesn’t like to give too many
kisses like before.)

She still loves the book “Where is 
baby’s belly button?” She has it at daycare
too. But, she picks at her belly button afterwards.

She cries to type on my computer 
because she likes the typing sounds.

She currently has 4 top teeth
and 4 bottom teeth and wears
size 4 shoes. (Her feet are little!)

She has a preference towards
anyone that wears glasses.
She especially loves her
uncle Addison, cousins Leighton
and Bryan and Grandpa Boune.

She dances ALL THE TIME.
She loves playing any sort of
pretend game.
She also does a dramatic
fake-laugh.

She says the word “Bath” and extends it out, 
like “baaaaaath” - she wants to take one all the time.

She takes medicine easily, but fights 
you like crazy if you try to clip her nails 
or do the nose suction.

Every time we turn on the Christmas tree and 
lights, she says “Wow”. 
If it’s not on, she points at it to remind us. 
She doesn’t pull the ornaments off or 
mess with it. She’s a good girl.

She likes to throw her diapers
or other garbage away by
herself and afterwards
she waits for you to clap
and say “Good Job.” She claps
along with you.

She’s very smart and picks things up 
without us even teaching them to her. 
She’s our ray of sunshine.

:D
i plan to do one every year, so she can see
how much she grows every year.
p.s. more suri pics to follow.

suri in vintage glam

Fancy Dog loves her sister.

why is it that when kids wear over-the-top stuff,
it makes me feel so giddy????

i adore this coat for suri.
hubster is not the biggest fan,
however, he agrees that it's the perfect warmth,
weight and easiness instead of stuffing her into
her big, poufy coat.

i put this coat on her when we go to the
grocery store and everything!
i told him it's not tacky when it's on little kids.
he agrees to disagree.
what do you think?

we originally bought this as a holiday coat:

i replaced the roses with some vintage buttons.
i think it's very audrey hupburn-esk.

literally giiiiiiddy.
how can you resist this?!

tis the season to fool the kids

have you heard of the elf on the shelf?

they are a huge hit among parents and 

such a fab idea in my opinion.

the idea is to hide the elf around the house in random places.

the kiddies think the magical elf is monitoring their behavior

and going to the north pole each night to tell santa 

if they've been naughty or nice.

here's a great video explaining it.

btw, target sells them. :)

i also love this idea from CaptureTheMagic.com.

it lets you upload a photo of your living room

and insert a stock photo of santa - as proof for the kiddies

of santa's late-night visit:

so much fun!!!

LOL!

have a Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!

coldplay k-cups

one of my girlfriends is obsessed with coldplay.
i mean obseeeeesssssssed.

her b-day happens to be on christmas,
so i made her these coldplay k-cups.
(she works the night shift and has a cup of coffee
from her keurig machine every night.)

i thought this was a fun idea.
kinda like picking a song or album
for whatever mood she's in.
the album covers are always really artsy
and perfect for a pretty project.

here's what the box looked like before it
was rocked out by coldplay artwork:

i opened the box up with an exacto knife
on its side, not top.
then, i flipped the k-cups face-up

i found photos of the band by googling "coldplay image" 

and printed them on my picturemate for the outside of the box.

(luckily i didn't need anything that was bigger than a 4x6

to cover each side of the box.)

flipping the k-cups face-up had made the box widen,
so i folded one of my printed photos in half,
glued it on and rounded one side for the flap.

for the k-cup toppers, i got the album artwork
from the coldplay website
under the 'recordings' section
and click on the 'art' link for each album cover.
(see where i marked with a yellow arrow below.)

i used a 1 1/8" punch for the keurig circle. 1" would work too.

the k-cup toppers are all 2" circles.
i reduced the size of the album cover artwork,
printed them out and punched them with a 2" punch.

the box was 18-count = 18 gorgeous album covers.

i glued them on with my tombo glue runner.
she'll have to take each album photo topper
off each one before she uses it.
(the keurig machine probably shouldn't
attempt to puncture the album cover toppers.)
don't worry, the toppers come off easily
because the tops aren't perfectly flat.

there are tons of keurig lovers out there
that this gift could be customized for.

i'm super-stoked about how it turned out!
the coldplay album art is so totally rad, which helps. :D
maybe a holiday edition...or a twilight version??!!

happy holidays, my lovelies.

awe-inspiring video

there are some people out there that are
sooooooooo CRAZY-talented, they take your breathe away.
my mind is blown.


Hero from Miguel Endara on Vimeo.

happy get inspired weekend

aaaahhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhaaappppyyyyyyy
ggeeeeeeeettttttttttt
iiiiiiiiinnnnnsssssss
pppiiirrrreeeeddddd
wwweeeeeeeeeee
kkkkkkeeeeeenn
nnnnddddd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yay! it's finally here.
i am soooooo crazy excited!!!
it is going to be
a heck of a good time!!!
are you super-stoked?

now that we're in the animal learning center
there is now ample room for our
wall of inspiration.
(this is where scrappers can "show off"
their scrapbook pages to
share ideas and get inspiration.)

i absolutely LOVE seeing
what everyone is working on
and always impressed by the pages.

so, i made this pins from bottle caps
for those who participate
in the wall of inspiration.

totally fun, right?
...and i also made these fabric rosette pins
for those who are volunteering me
set-up today:

i've also scored on a supercute sweater
for suri to wear this weekend.
not a detail overlooked, right? :)
btw, this sweater is totally me...in a mini version.

$7 clearance at target. woo hoo! :)

i added one of my rosette,
but i'm guessing the little booger
will yank it off and refuse to wear it.

she's just starting to talk
and actually know the meanings for
da-da (daddy), mama, nana (banana),
yaya (grandma), more, mum-mum,
thank you...
(btw, i said "i love you" to her just the other day
and she responded with "thank you". hmph.)

my mom-in-law will also be coming
to visit during get inspired .
she claims i've never invited her in the past,
[insert big "whatever" here. LOL!]
so be sure to say hello if you see her.
she's very friendly.
i'm thinking i'll make a big announcement over the PA
and embarrass her a bit. haha!
like every grandma,
she is seriously suri's #1 fan.
i'll leave this post with a pic
of suri and her grandma,
so you know what she looks like. :)

see you soon, my lovelies!
sooooooooo excited!!!!!

clownin' booth props

it's pretty much impossible to
not have fun when you're in
a photobooth.

there's a silliness that comes out
in all of us that enter.
just ca aaaa an't fight it,
just too ir rreeeesist aaa able.

throw in some extra-cool booth props
and you're done for.

sure, there will be the boa, floppy hats,
wacky sunglasses, etc. that come along
with the photobooth guy
(ours is tim from a special event dj)

but, that just ain't the way of the scrapbooker, is it?
definitely gotta mix in our own crafty ones. ;)

presenting...
the 2011 get inspired fall event booth props
(handmade by muah)

oversized bowties and neckties

framed chalkboards

and, of course, mustaches and glasses on a stick

definitely scrappy-style, right?
i think they'll be a fun addition.
cannot wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

p.s. thank you so much to those
who came to my thirty-one party,
i appreciate it.
i am truly blessed to have so much support
and especially LOVE getting to
spend some time with friends.
here's just a few pics from
the end of the night.

1. rachel + suri with their matching outfits 2. me and hubby + suri and her bff eva 3. suri and her cousin averi 4. girls at end of night.